The molecular regulatory mechanism of reed canary grass under salt, waterlogging, and combined stress was analyzed by transcriptomic analysis.

BACKGROUND: Reed canary grass has been identified as a suitable species for restoring plateau wetlands and understanding plant adaptation mechanisms in wetland environments. In this study, we subjected a reed canary grass cultivar 'Chuanxi' to waterlogging, salt, and combined stresses to investigate its phenotypic characteristics, physiological indices, and transcriptome changes under these conditions. RESULTS: The results revealed that the growth rate was slower under salt stress than under waterlogging stress. The chlorophyll content and energy capture efficiency of the PS II reaction center decreased with prolonged exposure to each stress. Conversely, while the activities of enzymes associated with respiratory metabolism, as well as MDA, PRO, Na+, and K+-ATPase, increased. The formation of distinct aerenchyma was observed under waterlogging stress and combined stress. Transcriptome sequencing analysis identified 5,379, 4,169, and 14,993 DEGs under CK vs. W, CK vs. S, and CK vs. SW conditions, respectively. The WRKY was found to be the most abundant under waterlogging stress, whereas the MYB predominated under salt stress and combined stress. Glutathione metabolic pathways and Plant hormone signal transduction have also been found to play important roles in stress. CONCLUSION: By integrating phenotypic, physiological, anatomical, and transcriptomic, this research provides valuable insights into how reed canary grass responds to salt, waterlogging, and combined stresses. These findings may inform the ecological application of reed canary grass in high-altitude wetlands and for breeding purposes.

SASH1 knockdown suppresses TRAF6 ubiquitination to regulate hemangioma progression by mediating EZH2 degradation.

Hemangioma (HA) is a neoplastic disease derived from vascular endothelial cells. Recently, SASH1 has been identified as a tumor suppressor gene. The purpose of this study was to investigate the role and regulatory mechanism of SASH1 in HA. RT-PCR and Western blot were used to detect the expressions of SASH1, TRAF6 and EZH2 in HA tissues and cell lines. CCK-8, cell cycle, apoptosis, wound healing and Transwell assays were performed to evaluate the effects of SASH1 and EZH2 exerted on HA cells. The immunoprecipitation and ubiquitination assays validated the regulation of SASH1 on TRAF6 and EZH2 ubiquitination. The results showed that SASH1 and EZH2 were highly expressed in HA tissues and cell lines, while TRAF6 was downregulated. SASH1 knockdown inhibited HemECs proliferation, migration, as well as invasion, and induced G0/G1 cell cycle arrest and apoptosis, while EZH2 overexpression reversed these effects. Interestingly, the knockdown of SASH1 enhanced TRAF6 expression but suppressed EZH2 expression in HemECs. And the ubiquitination of EZH2 and TRAF6 was regulated by SASH1. Generally, SASH1 knockdown inhibited TRAF6 ubiquitination to destabilize EZH2. SASH1 may serve as a novel therapeutic target during HA progression.

Molecular Mechanism of Cold Tolerance of Centipedegrass Based on the Transcriptome.

Low temperature is an important limiting factor in the environment that affects the distribution, growth and development of warm-season grasses. Transcriptome sequencing has been widely used to mine candidate genes under low-temperature stress and other abiotic stresses. However, the molecular mechanism of centipedegrass in response to low-temperature stress was rarely reported. To understand the molecular mechanism of centipedegrass in response to low-temperature stress, we measured physiological indicators and sequenced the transcriptome of centipedegrass under different stress durations. Under cold stress, the SS content and APX activity of centipedegrass increased while the SOD activity decreased; the CAT activity, POD activity and flavonoid content first increased and then decreased; and the GSH-Px activity first decreased and then increased. Using full-length transcriptome and second-generation sequencing, we obtained 38.76 G subreads. These reads were integrated into 177,178 isoforms, and 885 differentially expressed transcripts were obtained. The expression of AUX_IAA and WRKY transcription factors and HSF transcription-influencing factors increased during cold stress. Through KEGG enrichment analysis, we determined that arginine and proline metabolism, plant circadian rhythm, plant hormone signal transduction and the flavonoid biosynthesis pathways played important roles in the cold stress resistance of centipedegrass. In addition, by using weighted gene coexpression network analysis (WGCNA), we determined that the turquoise module was significantly correlated with SS content and APX activity, while the blue module was significantly negatively correlated with POD and CAT activity. This paper is the first to report the response of centipedegrass to cold stress at the transcriptome level. Our results help to clarify the molecular mechanisms underlying the cold tolerance of warm-season grasses.

CYP3A4 genetic variants are associated with susceptibility of non-small cell lung cancer in a Shaanxi Han population.

PURPOSE: Lung cancer (LC) is one of the fastest-growing malignant tumors in the world in terms of morbidity and mortality. CYP3A4 plays a crucial role in the occurrence of LC. Little is known about the contribution of CYP3A4 polymorphisms for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) risk. This study aimed to explore the correlation of CYP3A4 genetic variants (rs3735451, rs4646440, rs35564277, and rs4646437) with NSCLC risk. METHODS: Four single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were genotyped by Agena MassARRAY in this case-control study (507 NSCLC patients and 505 controls) among a Shaanxi Han population. Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium (HWE) of each SNP in controls was evaluated by exact test. The association of CYP3A4 polymorphisms with NSCLC risk was explored by calculating odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) using logistic regression analysis with adjustment for age and gender. RESULTS: Our research revealed that rs4646440 was significantly associated with an increased risk of NSCLC (OR 2.64, p = .005), while rs4646437 played a protective role in NSCLC risk (OR 0.48, p = 4.00 × 10-7). Stratified analyses indicated that rs4646440 significantly enhanced the susceptibility of NSCLC in BMI > 24 kg/m2, non-smokers and non-drinkers (OR 14.29, p = .012; OR 1.56, p = .023; OR 1.67, p = .031, respectively). Besides, we observed that rs3735451 exhibited an increased risk of NSCLC in BMI > 24 kg/m2 (OR 2.47, p = .030), whereas rs4646437 had a reduced risk of NSCLC in BMI ≤ 24 kg/m2 (OR 0.47, p = 5.17 × 10-5). We also found that rs35564277 was considered as a protective factor of NSCLC in non-smokers (OR 0.50, p = .032). CONCLUSION: Our study indicated that CYP3A4 genetic variants were associated with NSCLC susceptibility in a Shaanxi Han population.

Oral microbial community analysis of the patients in the progression of liver cancer.

Liver disease has been reported to associate with oral microbiota. This study aimed to identify the salivary microbial structure in liver disease patients and determine whether the disease progression influence the bacterial composition. 16S rDNA high-throughput sequencing and bioinformatic analysis were used to examine oral bacterial diversity in the different status of hepatitis patients including 6 patients with Hepatitis B (Y), 6 patients with Hepatitis B Cirrhosis (YY) and 6 patients with liver cancer (C), and 6 healthy controls (T). Phylogenetic analysis revealed that the genera of Streptococcus, Prevotella, Actinomyces, Veillonella and Neisseria are predominant genus in the saliva of Y, YY, C patients and T group. Lautropia, Abiotrophia and Veillonella were enriched in Y patients, while Treponema, Selenomonas and Oribacterium were also existed in YY patients. Haemophilus, Porphyromonas and Filifactor had high abundance in C patients. The genera of Moryella, Leptotrichia, Lactobacillus, Dialister, Serratia, Enterococcus and Actinobacillus were decreased in all patient samples compared with healthy control samples which may be used for treatment of liver disease. Diversity analyses showed decreased diversity of salivary bacterial communities was discovered in the progress of the liver disease. These findings identified the oral microbiota dysbiosis in liver disease, which may providing available information and possible diagnostic biomarkers for liver patients.

Evaluation of Four Different Restorative Materials for Restoration of the Periodontal Condition of Wedge-Shaped Defect: A Comparative Study.

BACKGROUND This study aimed to conduct a clinical evaluation of four restorative materials for restoration of dental wedge-shaped defect (WSD) and their impacts on periodontal tissues. MATERIAL AND METHODS A total of 280 maxillary premolars with dental WSD were selected from 106 patients; the patient cases were divided into eight groups according to different combinations of restorative materials (flowable resin composites, Dyract compomers, glass ionomer cement (GIC), light-curing composite resin), and WSD positions (approaching gingival and subgingival positions). Gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) volume, levels of aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), and interleukin-1ß (IL-1ß) in GCF were analyzed, while probing depth (PD), plaque index (PLI), and sulcus bleeding index (SBI) were also measured. The periodontal conditions of all patients were followed prior to restoration, as well as six months and 12 months after restoration. RESULTS After six months of restoration, the overall clinical success rates of flowable resin composites, Dyract compomers, and light-curing composite resin were greater than those of GIC. GCF volume, GCF-AST, IL-1ß levels, PD, PLI, and SBI of cases restored by GIC were higher than those restored by the other three materials. After 12 months of restoration, the overall clinical success rates of flowable resin composites and Dyract compomers were greater than those of light-curing composite resin and GIC. GCF volume, GCF-AST, GCF-ALP, IL-1ß levels, PD, PLI, and SBI of cases restored by GIC were higher than those restored by the other three materials. CONCLUSIONS Our study provided evidence that the clinical efficacy of flowable resin composites, Dyract compomers, and light-curing composite resin was greater than that of GIC for restoration of dental WSD.

High fat diet induced atherosclerosis is accompanied with low colonic bacterial diversity and altered abundances that correlates with plaque size, plasma A-FABP and cholesterol: a pilot study of high fat diet and its intervention with Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG (LGG) or telmisartan in ApoE-/- mice.

BACKGROUND: Atherosclerosis appears to have multifactorial causes - microbial component like lipopolysaccharides (LPS) and other pathogen associated molecular patterns may be plausible factors. The gut microbiota is an ample source of such stimulants, and its dependent metabolites and altered gut metagenome has been an established link to atherosclerosis. In this exploratory pilot study, we aimed to elucidate whether microbial intervention with probiotics L. rhamnosus GG (LGG) or pharmaceuticals telmisartan (TLM) could improve atherosclerosis in a gut microbiota associated manner. METHODS: Atherosclerotic phenotype was established by 12 weeks feeding of high fat (HF) diet as opposed to normal chow diet (ND) in apolipoprotein E knockout (ApoE-/-) mice. LGG or TLM supplementation to HF diet was studied. RESULTS: Both LGG and TLM significantly reduced atherosclerotic plaque size and improved various biomarkers including endotoxin to different extents. Colonial microbiota analysis revealed that TLM restored HF diet induced increase in Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes ratio and decrease in alpha diversity; and led to a more distinct microbial clustering closer to ND in PCoA plot. Eubacteria, Anaeroplasma, Roseburia, Oscillospira and Dehalobacteria appeared to be protective against atherosclerosis and showed significant negative correlation with atherosclerotic plaque size and plasma adipocyte - fatty acid binding protein (A-FABP) and cholesterol. CONCLUSION: LGG and TLM improved atherosclerosis with TLM having a more distinct alteration in the colonic gut microbiota. Altered bacteria genera and reduced alpha diversity had significant correlations to atherosclerotic plaque size, plasma A-FABP and cholesterol. Future studies on such bacterial functional influence in lipid metabolism will be warranted.

Insight into the genetic variability analysis and cultivar identification of tall fescue by using SSR markers.

BACKGROUND: Genetic diversity of 19 forage-type and 2 turf-type cultivars of tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea Schreb.) was revealed using SSR markers in an attempt to explore the genetic relationships among them, and examine potential use of SSR markers to identify cultivars by bulked samples. RESULTS: A total of 227 clear band was scored with 14 SSR primers and out of which 201 (88.6 %) were found polymorphic. The percentage of polymorphic bands (PPB) per primer pair varied from 62.5 to 100 % with an average of 86.9 %. The polymorphism information content (PIC) value ranged from 0.116 to 0.347 with an average of 0.257 and the highest PIC value (0.347) was noticed for primer NFA040 followed by NFA113 (0.346) whereas the highest discriminating power (D) of 1 was shown in NFA037 and LMgSSR02-01C. A Neighbor-joining dendrogram and the principal component analysis identified six major clusters and grouped the cultivars in agreement with their breeding histories. STRUCTURE analysis divided these cultivars into 3 sub-clades which correspond to distance based groupings. CONCLUSION: These findings indicates that SSR markers by bulking strategy are a useful tool to measure genetic diversity among tall fescue cultivars and could be used to supplement morphological data for plant variety protection.

Modulatory effects of adiponectin on the polarization of tumor-associated macrophages.

The plasticity of macrophages with selective functional phenotypes partially arises in respective to their microenvironment. Tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) may promote disease progression with tumor specific manner. Here we report that in pediatric malignant soft-tissue tumors, the presence of TAMs and expression of adiponectin (APN) are heterogeneous. Both APN and TAMs had high expression in rhabdomyosarcoma, especially in the malignant subtype, alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma. To investigate the mode of action of APN on TAM activation, a murine MN/MCA1 sarcoma model was used. The Results revealed that exogenous APN had no effect on MN/MCA1 proliferation but tumor size was markedly reduced in apn(-/-) mice versus WT controls. The accumulation of TAMs in apn(-/-) mice was also reduced which correlated to downregulated serum levels of MCP-1. Likewise, TAMs in apn(-/-) mice exhibited a M1-like phenotype, characterized by increase in MHC II(high) population and M1 phenotypic markers, such as iNOS gene and serum TNF-α accompanied by a decrease in M2 markers, namely YM1 gene and serum IL-10. In addition, APN deficiency increased the number of CD4(+) T cells, CD8(+) T cells and NK cells in tumors and reduced tumor metastasis. The altered phenotype of TAMs in apn(-/-) mice was associated with a marked decrease in phospho-p38 and treatment with a p38 MAPK inhibitor significantly reduced tumor size and increased MHC II expression on TAMs in WT mice, implying p38 MAPK signaling pathway may contribute to APN-mediated TAM polarization. Collectively, our findings suggest that APN may have a potential role in regulating soft tissue sarcoma growth.

Lack of Association between the TSPAN18 Gene and Schizophrenia Based on New Data from Han Chinese and a Meta-Analysis.

Tetraspanin-18 (TSPAN18) potentially plays a role in the calcium signaling that is associated with dopamine-induced cortical neuron apoptosis and is considered to be an important mechanism in the pathogenesis of schizophrenia (SCZ). Furthermore, a genome-wide association study (GWAS) identified TSPAN18 as a possible susceptibility gene for SCZ. To validate these findings and reveal the effects of different inheritance models, seven single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of the TSPAN18 gene were analyzed in 443 patients with SCZ and 628 controls of Han Chinese descent via the SNPscan method. Single SNP, genotype, and association analyses with different models (i.e., additive, dominant, and recessive models) were performed, and the published datasets (2062 cases and 2053 controls) were combined with our results to determine the inheritance effects of the SNPs on SCZ. We observed genotypes and allele distributions of TSPAN18 gene did not show any significant associations in the Han Chinese population based on our experimental and meta-analytical results. Our findings indicate that the TSPAN18 gene is unlikely to be a major susceptibility gene for schizophrenia in Han Chinese.

[Potential Applicability of Fecal NIRs: A Review].

Near-infrared reflectance spectroscopy (NIRS) is an inexpensive, rapid, environment-friendly and non-invasive analytical technique that has been extensively applied in the analysis of the dietary attributes and the animal products. Acquisition of dietary attributes is essential for nutritional diagnoses to provide animals with reasonable diet. Traditionally, the calibration equations for the prediction of dietary attributes (e. g. crude protein) are developed from feed NIR spectra and the results of conventional chemical analysis (i. e. reference data). It is difficult to obtain the NIR spectra of forages consumed by grazing animals, so the method of this calibration is inappropriate for free-grazing herbivores. Feces, as the animal's metabolites, contain the information about both the animal's diet and the animal itself. Recently, Fecal-NIRS (F. NIRS) has been directly used to monitor diet information (botanical composition, chemical composition and digestibility), based on correlation between reference data and fecal NIR profile. Subsequently, some additional application (such as sex and species discrimination, reproductive and parasite status) of F. NIRS also is outlined. In the last, application of NIRS in animal manure is summarized. NIRS was shown to be an alternative to conventional wet chemical methods for analyzing some nutrient concentrations in animal manure rapidly. Overall, this paper proves that F. NIRS is a rapid and valid tool for the determination of the dietary attributes and of the physiological status of animal, although more efforts need to be done to improve the accuracy of the F. NIRS technique. Several researchers in English have reviewed the applications of F. NIRS. In China, however, there is a paucity of research and application regarding F. NIRS. We expect that this paper in Chinese will be helpful to the development of F. NIRS in China. At the same time, we propose NIRS as a simple and rapid analytical method for predicting the main chemical composition (dry matter, organ matter, total solid, volatile solid, total nitrogen, total Kjeldahl nitrogen and ammonium nitrogen) in animal manure.

[NIRS for Predicting Nutritive Value of Elymus sibiricus].

Siberian wildrye (Elymus sibiricus L.) is one of the predominant pasture species in Qinghai-Tibet plateau of China. It supplies a large number of fodders to domestic animals in spring and winter, and provides a large proportion of the summer and autumn grazing in these alpine regions. Crude protein (CP), acid detergent fiber (ADF), neutral detergent fiber (NDF) and in vitro dry matter digestibility (IVDMD) are the most important aspects of nutritive value of forages. A successful application of near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) in combination with partial least square regression (PLSR) for the determination of four parameters (CP, ADF, NDF and IVDMD) of Siberian wildrye was developed. The standard errors of calibration (SEC, %DM) and Rcal(2) values (in parentheses) were 0.3299(0.9945), 0.7799(0.9499), 1.3430(0.9133), and 1.3762(0.9822) for CP, ADF, NDF and IVDMD equations, respectively. The standard errors of prediction (SEP, %DM) and Rval(2) values (in parentheses) were 0.3621(0.9938), 0.7878(0.9449), 1.3852(0.8907), and 1.4303(0.9790) for CP, ADF, NDF and IVDMD, respectively. A good correlation (r>0.9438) was found between results from NIRS and the traditional chemical method, and residual predictive deviation (RPD) ranged from 3.02 to 12.63. It was concluded that NIR spectroscopic technique associated with chemometrics is sufficiently sensitive to allow the accurate prediction of the concentrations of compo nents (CP, ADF and NDF) and IVDMD of Siberian wildrye.

[Near-infrared reflectance spectroscopy analytic model established for the IVDMD of Cichorium intybus L].

Chicory (Cichorium intybus L.) is a new type of forage grasses of high yield and quality with a great value of popularization and utilization. In vitro dry matter digestibility (IVDMD) is one of the important indicators of the nutritional value of forage evaluation. For the study of establishment of Chicory IVDMD NIRS quantitative analysis model, seventy-two species with different genotypes, different growth stages of 204 chicory samples of aboveground material were collected, and by Fourier transform near-infrared diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, through the use of different regression algorithms, can comparing different spectral ranges and spectral pretreatment methods, eight chicory IVDMD NIRS calibration models were established, and the best calibration model parameters were chosen. Its calibration coefficient of determination (Ri) and external validation coefficient of determination (Rval2) were 0.95317 and 0.90455, calibration standard deviation (RMSEC) and predictive standard deviation (RMSEP) was 1.977 99% and 2.008 82%, and the correlation coefficient (r) between predicted values and chemical values was 0.95108. The results show that using NIRS to determine chicory IVDMD is feasible, and provided a rapid analysis method for the determination IVDMD of chicory.

Extensive transcriptome data providing great efficacy in genetic research and adaptive gene discovery: a case study of Elymus sibiricus L. (Poaceae, Triticeae).

Genetic markers play a central role in understanding genetic diversity, speciation, evolutionary processes, and how species respond to environmental stresses. However, conventional molecular markers are less effective when studying polyploid species with large genomes. In this study, we compared gene expression levels in 101 accessions of Elymus sibiricus, a widely distributed allotetraploid forage species across the Eurasian continent. A total of 20,273 high quality transcriptomic SNPs were identified. In addition, 72,344 evolutionary information loci of these accessions of E. sibiricus were identified using genome skimming data in conjunction with the assembled composite genome. The population structure results suggest that transcriptome SNPs were more effective than SNPs derived from genome skimming data in revealing the population structure of E. sibiricus from different locations, and also outperformed gene expression levels. Compared with transcriptome SNPs, the investigation of population-specifically-expressed genes (PSEGs) using expression levels revealed a larger number of locally adapted genes mainly involved in the ion response process in the Sichuan, Inner Mongolia, and Xizang geographical groups. Furthermore, we performed the weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) and successfully identified potential regulators of PSEGs. Therefore, for species lacking genomic information, the use of transcriptome SNPs is an efficient approach to perform population structure analysis. In addition, analyzing genes under selection through nucleotide diversity and genetic differentiation index analysis based on transcriptome SNPs, and exploring PSEG through expression levels is an effective method for analyzing locally adaptive genes.

Mutation identification of the DSPP in a Chinese family with DGI-II and an up-to-date bioinformatic analysis.

In this study, through linkage analysis of a four-generation Chinese family with multiple members afflicted with DGI (type II), we identified a novel missense mutation in DSPP. The mutation was located in exon 2 at the second nucleotide position of the last codon and resulted in a substitution of a proline with a leucine residue (c.50C>T, p.P17L, g.50C>T). To assess the potential effects of this novel mutation, we utilized various bioinformatics analysis programs. The results indicate that the mutation likely affects protein cleavage/trafficking. We also analyzed previously reported mutations of DSPP. In summary, our finding supports that the genomic sequence that corresponds to the P17 residue of DSPP is a mutational hotspot and P17 may be critical for the function of DSPP.

Identification and Validation of Reference Genes for RT-qPCR Analysis in Reed Canary Grass during Abiotic Stress.

Reed canary grass (Phalaris arundinacea L.) is known for its tolerance to drought, heavy metals, and waterlogging, making it a popular choice for forage production and wetland restoration in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (QTP). To accurately assess gene expression in reed canary grass under different abiotic stresses, suitable reference genes need to be identified and validated. Thirteen candidate reference gene sequences were selected and screened using RT-qPCR to detect their expression levels in reed canary grass leaves under drought, salt, cadmium, and waterlogging stresses. Four algorithms were used to assess the stability of the expression levels of the candidate reference genes. The most stably expressed genes were UBC and H3 under drought Cd, ETF and CYT under salt stress, and ETF and TUB under waterlogging stress. GAPDH was found to be less stable under abiotic stresses. PIP-1, PAL, NAC 90, and WRKY 72A were selected as response genes for quantitative expression assessment under drought, salt, Cd, and waterlogging stresses to confirm the accuracy of the selected stable reference genes. These results provide a theoretical reference for assessing gene expression in reed canary grass under abiotic stresses.

Effects of water uptake on melamine renal stone formation in mice.

BACKGROUND: Melamine-tainted food can induce kidney stones both in humans and animals and in domestic animals, severe cases caused acute kidney failure and death. Although increasing water intake can ameliorate kidney stone formation, its effect on melamine (Mel)-induced kidney stones has not been studied. METHODS: We have analysed the effect of restricted ingestion of drinking water on melamine stone formation in mice. They were given melamine and cyanuric acid orally and received drinking water either freely or for a restricted time. Kidney stone formation and renal function were monitored. RESULTS: Mice receiving drinking water for a restricted 10-h period initially lost body weight, which returned to normal within 2 days. No other abnormalities were observed. Ingestion of melamine alone failed to induce kidney stones even under conditions of restricted drinking water. In mice treated with melamine together with cyanuric acid for 3 days, no renal stones were formed when the supply of drinking was normal. However, when drinking water was limited, stone formation was observed and accompanied by high levels of serum urea and creatinine. An increase in urine haemoglobin and glucose levels was also found. The administration resulted in up-regulated tissue osteopontin, kidney injury molecule-1 and neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin messenger RNA expression and macrophage infiltration. CONCLUSIONS: Our results indicate the importance of water intake in the formation of melamine-induced renal stone formation in the mouse and provide new information on the mechanisms of melamine stone formation.

Increased Rates of Health Management and Health Education on Hypertension and Diabetes in Inner Mongolia, China: 10-Year Population Level Trends (2009-2018).

Health management and health education are two important tasks in the national basic public health service project with a wide audience, large service volume, and high accessibility. From 2009 to 2018, the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region of China launched the basic public health service (BPHS) project comprehensively. The implementation of health management and health education was supported and instructed actively. This study aimed to document population-level trends in health management and health education on chronic diseases such as hypertension and diabetes in Inner Mongolia, China. We collected monthly and annual reports on the implementation progress of the BPHS project in Inner Mongolia, China. A two-stage random sampling method was used to investigate health management and health education for hypertension and diabetes patients. The rate of standard health management for both hypertension and diabetes has significantly increased. The blood pressure control rate and glycemic control rate have also improved. This work provides the most comprehensive evidence to date regarding the upward trends in health management and health education on chronic diseases such as hypertension and diabetes in Inner Mongolia, China.

Molecular Phylogeography and Intraspecific Divergences in Siberian Wildrye (Elymus sibiricus L.) Wild Populations in China, Inferred From Chloroplast DNA Sequence and cpSSR Markers.

A detailed understanding of the distribution and degree of genetic variation within a species is important for determining their evolutionary potential, which in return facilitates the development of efficient conservation strategies aimed at preserving adaptive genetic variation. As an important perennial, cool-season grass in temperate Eurasia, increasing attention has been paid to Siberian wildrye (Elymus sibiricus) due to its excellent ecological utilization value and forage production potential in China, particularly in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (QTP) regions. In this study, we applied two chloroplast (cp) genes (matK and rbcL), three cp spacer regions (trnY-GUA∼trnD-GUC, atpH∼atpF, and rps4∼trnT-UGU), and six cpSSR markers to the genetic and phylogenetic analysis of 137 wild E. sibiricus accessions from 23 natural populations that represent the main distribution regions in China. The results show the highest genetic diversity (h = 0.913) and haplotype richness (10 haplotypes) for the QTP population, which indicates QTP as the probable diversity center and geographic origin of E. sibiricus in China. Population divergence was high, indicating a significant phylogeographic structure together with a significantly higher Nst value (Nst > Gst, P < 0.05) at the species level, QTP+XJ (combined populations from QTP and Xinjiang), QTP+NC (combined populations from QTP and North China), and XJ+NC (combined populations from Xinjiang and North China) group levels, respectively. An expansion was revealed in the distributional range of E. sibiricus in China from paleo times up to the recent past, while a dramatic range of contraction was predicted for the near future. The predicted main limiting factor for the further spread of E. sibiricus is an increasing global mean temperature. We recommend that the combination of Es-cpDNA1 and Es-cpDNA3+4+5 can be used as effective markers for phylogenetic analysis and phylogeographical history analysis of E. sibiricus. These findings shed new light on the historical population dynamics of cold-season herbs in the QTP region and the north of China and are of great significance for the future establishment of protection and collection strategies for wild E. sibiricus germplasm.

Physiological and molecular responses of Phalaris arundinacea under salt stress on the Tibet plateau.

Phalaris arundinacea, with its characteristics of rapid growth and high biological yield, is regarded as an excellent forage grass in the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau region of China. To explore the physiological and molecular response mechanism of Phalaris arundinacea under salt stress, we monitored the biomass and physiological indexes of two locally grown strains under conditions of exposure to 150 and 300 mM NaCl solution. Z0611 exhibited better salt stress tolerance than YS. Transcriptome sequencing analysis showed that YS and Z0611 had 1713 and 4290 differentially expressed genes (DEGs), respectively, including on metabolic processes, single-organism process, catalytic activity, and plant hormone signal transduction in the GO and KEGG databases. We also identified a large number of genes involved in hormone signaling, antioxidant systems, ion homeostasis, and photosynthetic systems. Our study provides physiological and molecular insight for establishing a salt resistance database and mining salt tolerance genes in Phalaris arundinacea, and also provides theoretical guidance for the restoration of saline-alkali land on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.